I changed my powersteering tank over today, to a newly painted one.

I drained the fluid out, removed the old tank, put a new o-ring onto the pump, put new tank on.

then i refilled up with halfords powersteering fluid.

I started the engine, and did lock to lock turns, holding it fully left/right for a few seconds.

at this point i could hear the pump making a noise, like normal.

after a few more goes, the noise went away, but so did the powersteering.

I have dried some different fluid, but that hasnt helped.

the pump is moving the fluid around in the tank, and i removed the return pipe when the engine was running, and lots came out.

I have kepted a eye on the level, and it hasnt run dry.


any ideas?

thanks
ian

 

anyone, got all my tools out ready to have a go at fixing it

 

anyone?

 

Could it have an air lock somewhere? Seems strange if it was fine before..

 

it was fine before, nothing wrong with it at all, apart form doing the turn to turn lock, is there anything else i can try? i am getting the fluid moving around in the tank, but i cant hear any noise from the pump, when on full lock.

it made a noise to start off with, but then after a few full locks each way, it stoped, and so did the power steering.

 

Is there a bleed nipple on these systems? Beyond that I'm out of answers!!!

 

Could you have put the pipes on wrong through the cooler ?

 

there is one pipe on to of the powersteering tank, and one at the bottom, this one bolts onto the bottom of the tank, so everything is ok there.

is there a bleed nipple anywhere?

or a cut off valve etc?

 

The valves are in the rack,try turning the wheel lock to lock engine running never had a problem doing it that way

 

are the valves easy to get to?, if so where from, etc etc

 

Did you raise the front end off the floor when you did the lock to lock? I have always done it with no load on the front wheels..

 

didnt try it like that, will do tomorrow, and fingers crossed

 

ok, i have been out this morning, jacked up the cardone it 40+ times tock to kock, then did it anain with the engine running.

and it still doesnt work

i didnt see any bubbles, but the fluid just went up and down.

it was up on full lock.

when on full lock with engine running, you dont hear any noise at all. and before when on full lock you could hear the pump working. (same as my friends classic impreza)


what can i try next?

or is there something buggered?

 

Ian : I have e-mailed you and just seen this thread.
Pretty elementary I know but make sure the drive belt is actually tight then look at the instructions in the e-mail.

 

check if oil still returning to the reservoir if you have the wheels on full lock with some force on the steering wheel. This should close the valves in the rack and therefore triggering the max pressure valve in the pump. this should cause the normal return flow to stop.
if the returnflow doesn't stop -> the valves are buggered
If the returnflow does stop but no noise -> pomp can't make pressure thus pump buggered..

 

when NOT on full lock, fluid flows from the return pipe
when ON full lock no fluid flows, and no noise

 

another up date, I have fitted another pas pump, that i brought from a scooby brakers, but now problems again.

the power steering was working, i went out for a drive (around 3-4 miles max) and it has stopted again. did the bleeding in like normal.

when the car is running, but parked, it doesnt work, rev the car up to around 3k reves, you can feel the pas coming back again.

any idea on what could be causing this?

i have just been using normal atf fluid (dextron i think)

 

I might be well off here, but just a thought.....

It wouldn't be an electrical problem would it, and an air lock? Charging system faulty at all?

 

charging system?

there isnt alot to a power steering pump really, its just a normal rotory vein pump

 

YOu are definitely fully filled with fluid? Because when the reservoir looks full, you can actually keep putting loads more in for quite a while without it coming up any more. That cured a noisy PS system on mine, I hadn't filled it properly.

 

when i fitted it today, after bleeding bit, on full lock with engine running, i got the noise from the pump, but now on full lock, engine running, no noise at all.

the only difference is (car is parked) when i rev the engine up 3k+ the power steering starts to come back.

if anything the fluid is abit on the high side now

 

It was just a thought as you said this. Was wondering if the alternator could also be struggling to charge the whole system..

 

its run off a belt, connected to the ault, and crank, its a belt driven pump, so dont think its that

 

Is the belt tension okay in that case?

 

yup belt is cool.

do you think the second hand pump i got is bust as well, or could it be the old fulid in there is no good? if so, how do you do a full bleed?

 

It's gotta be that there is air in the system then surely? I don't know how to bleed the PAS system or the correct way to fill it from empty. Sorry..

 

the pump i just got, was from a brakers place, no dont really know the condition of it

 

anyone know of a dran bung on that rack that i can use to get rid of all the pas fluid?

 

so some more up dates.

been out this morning, I have taken the pas lines off the steering rack, and fully bled the system.

refilled, and bleed it again.

started off pas was working, then it got harder, then stopted working again.

then if i reved the engine, the pas started to work.

when engine was up to working temp, the pas did not work at all, even when reved.

sounds like a dodgy pump again?

 

Is your belt tight?